Sweet-potato-vine clipper.



J. F. MILLER.

SWEET POTATO VINE CLIPPER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.17, 1912.

1,040,234, Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

2 SHEBTSS HEET 1.

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SWEET POTATO VINE CLIPPER.

APPLICATION FILED APE.1'I, 1912.

1,040,234, Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

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SWEET-POTATO-VINE CLIPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct; 1,1912.

Application filed April 17, 1912. Serial No. 691,272.

To all whom it may conccm:

Be it known that I JAMES F. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Goldsboro, in the county of Wayne and State of NorthCarolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sweet-Potato-Vine Clippers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for cutting potato vines prior todigging.

I am aware that a number of devices in the way of stalk and vine cuttershave been constructed, but in all devices of this kind known to me theobject has been to cut upright grown plants and the cutters have workedhorizontally. Sweet potato vines owing to their trailing habit and theclose mat which they form upon the ground cannot be successfully cut bydevices constructed similar to these usually employed in cutting beettops, or other plants having a more or less upright habit of growth. Inorder to cut the potato vines it is necessary to first lift the vinefrom the ground and then to cut the same by a cutter operating in avertical lane.

The invention therefore consists of a device provided with a shoeadapted to move along the ground in a horizontal plane and to engage andsuccessively cut the vines as the shoe lifts them.

The preferred form of the invention is hereinafter described, pointedout in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a front elevation.Fig. 3 is a top plan view, the parts being in section. Fig. 4 is anenlarged side elevation, partly in section of the lower portion of themachine, the shoe being shown in longitudinal vertical section.

In constructing the device a number of forms of support for the cuttingmechanism are possible and it is also possible to provide any one of anumber of well known transmission devices for the purpose of impartingto the cutter bars the necessary reciprocating movement. In thedrawings, however, I have shown a frame 1 having a greater width at therear than at the front said frame carrying adjacent its rear end an axle2 upon which are mounted supporting and drive wheels 3. In order thatthe horse and operator may both walk between the ridges in which thepotatoes are planted, while the cutting mechanism travels along saidridges a draft attachment 4 is connected to the front and one side ofthe frame 1 and rearwardly extending handles 5 are carried by the sidesof the rear portion of the frame, said handles being arranged obliquelywith respect to the longitudinal axis of the frame 1, thereby enablingthe operator to grasp both handles and at the same time walk in thefurrow adjacent to the ridge over which the cutting mechanism travels.

Mounted upon the frame 1 is a cross bar 7, from which hangs a dependingframe 8 to the lower portion of which is secured a pick-up Shoe 9.Mounted upon the shoe is an upright frame consisting of arallel plates10 at the upper end of w llCll is mounted a crank shaft- 11 and uponsaid shaft and between the plates is a sprocket wheel 12. Working uponthe outer faces of these plates and through suitable guide brackets 13are cutter bars 14, said cutter bars being connected to the shaft 11 bymeans of pivoted links 15. The shoe 9 is provided with two verticalopenings 16 and is also slotted in a horizontal plane at its front end,as shown at 17. The slot 17 has curved upper and lower inwardlyconverging walls, and said slot communicates with each of the verticalslots 16. That portion of the cutter bar 14 which rcciprocates in theslot 16 is provided with cutting teeth 18. A suitable brace rod 19 runsfrom the shoe to the frame consisting of the plates 10, and these platesare also braced from the cross piece 7 by means of brace rods 20. Asprocket chain 23 runs over the sprocket 21 and also over the sprocketwheel 12, thereby reciprocating the cutter bars 14:.

It will be noted that the shaft 11 has its end portions oppositelycranked so that the bars 141- will alternate in their cutting movements. As the device is run along the rows, the vines will be picked upby the mouth of the shoe formed by the slots 17 and will be carried intothe slots 16 where they will be cut by the teeth of the bars 14:.

hat I claim is 1. A vine cutter comprising a shoe provided with parallelvertical slots, oppositely acting cutter bars working vertically in saidslots, said shoe having a horizontal slot communicating with both ofsaid vertical slots.

2. In a potato vine cutter, a shoe provided with vertical slots, andhaving at its front end a horizontal slot the upper and lowersaid shoeand transversely across the inner Walls of which are rearwarcllyconverging, "endportion of said slot, and means for mov- 10 the rear endof said horizontal slot bisecting ing' said cutter bars in oppositedirections the vertical slots and vertically movable relative to eachother.

cutter bars Working in said vertical slots. JAMES FRANKLIN MILLER.

8. A vine cutter consisting of a shoe, said 'Witnesses:

shoe being horizontally slotted to receive the A. A. MILLER,

Vines, cutter bars Working vertically through PITTMAN BRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. 0.? I

